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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · row · cell · bear · mark · rest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — the animal
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rest — a break
  9. row — a line
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com